Power in Humility:Philippines 2:3-16

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Col. 3:12-13, NASB).

How we handle a situation is largely determined by our attitude. As we approach the celebration the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ the word “humility” becomes an important word in recognizing the work of Jesus on our behalf. Why did Jesus give up His glory and die a cruel death on the cross for sinners like you and me? What did Jesus want to accomplish? What reward did He seek to attain as a result of His suffering? How does the humility of Jesus inform believers as they try to relate to others? The limited space of this article is not sufficient to address all the words in the scripture that inform us about our relationship with God and other people. Rather, I hope that this limited presentation with arouse our awareness of the power of humility.

Since the scriptures use different words like gentleness and meekness depending on the author’s emphasis in their situation and the translation one uses, let me give us a working definition for this article. In this article humility refers to an attitude one has about their own personhood and self worth. Their own attitude about themselves affects their attitude about God, other believers as well as non believers. Humility relates also to how one approach a task and the reward that they hope to receive for their efforts. Humility is willingness to lower oneself so that other might be elevated. In Philippians 2 Paul tells the church that it can avoid problems when each member follows the example of Christ by having a humbleness of mind that causes Him to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and the glory that awaits Him.

What do we mean when we say that there is power in humility? In a world in which aggression is a common approach to any given situation, how does humility give one power? Where does the power come from? It is certainly not the common way that the world teaches and adheres to. The word lives by assertiveness and aggression. For example, the car salesman uses pressure techniques to convince the customer to buy the car. The scam artist uses deception in order to convince their victim to do something that will result in great gain for the scammer and much ruin and loss for the victim. Preachers have been known to use scare tactics to convince people to join the church instead of emphasizing the love of Jesus to make becoming a disciple of Jesus something to be desired because of the hope of the reward of having a relationship with God. In the New Testament the writers record the words of Jesus, His attitude, and His obedience to the Father to show their audience what they need to do to live a life that is pleasing to God. How can humility give them power in a world dominated by selfishness and domination?

The scriptures record examples of people that possessed the power of humility. In Daniel 1, Daniel and his three friends were taken into captivity by the conquering king Nebuchadnezzar. The king ordered that Hebrew boys of royalty be trained in the arts and sciences of Babylon. They were to eat from the king’s table. Daniel looked at the food and he knew that many of the foods on the table were not permissible for a Hebrew to eat according to the law. Daniel showed humility in his approach to those in charge. He did not complain. He showed humility by the manner in which he requested that he be fed vegetables. Daniel’s humility was power that convinced those in charge to grant him his request even though they knew that they were taking a risk. The power is seen is these words: “And for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams” (Dan. 1:17, NASB).

In 1 Peter 3 the author instructs husbands and wives to submit to each other. He says that wives can convince unbelieving husbands by their “chaste and respectful behavior” (3:2). Their outward presentation of beauty was not convincing (v.3). On the other hand humility was convincing. “Let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (v. 4). Peter offered Sarah as an example. “Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by fear” (v. 6, NASB). Did you get that? Sarah did not obey Abraham because of fear. Rather, she humbled herself and did what was right. God rewarded Sarah because of her faith seen in the power of her humility.

Paul writes in the second chapter of the book of Philippines that they can avoid problems if they have humility. Humility means that they will look out for the needs of others instead of haughtily demand everything to be for their own benefit. Jesus is their example, and He continues to be our example in these days.

We must have the attitude of Christ. Christ knew who He was in His own personhood and also in His relationship to God (vv. 5, 6). It is in knowing God, having faith in Him, and trusting Him that we can empty ourselves for the sake of others. Jesus said, “‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me’” (Lk. 9:23, NASB). We learn humility when we deny ourselves our own ambitions. We die to self every day. Each day we must make a deliberate effort to follow Jesus in both our words and our behavior.

There is power in humility because humility allows us to be obedient to God. Jesus prayed to the Father that the cup of death be taken from Him. Jesus was not smiling when the Sanhedrin Council held a mock trial with many false witnesses testifying against Him. Yet, He knew that He was doing the Father’s will. As He prayed in the garden that the Father would remove the cup, Jesus concluded, “yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Lk. 22:42, NASB). There was power in Jesus’ humility. Luke writes, “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him” (v. 43).

Humility is power because humility is given to us by the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul tells us that the Spirit has the fruit of God’s love. God gives us the Spirit so that we no longer live according to the deeds of the flesh. That we have the Spirit is made evident when our lives are characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (humility), and self-control (NASB). We cannot do the things of God if we are not empowered by the Holy Spirit. Thus, every characteristic of the Spirit has power.

Humility leads to a reward from God. We believe in Jesus. We follow Him and we obey His words. Paul writes, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We too have power and authority when we follow the example that Jesus has set before us. From His example we know that there is power in humility.